One requirement in the tasting and drinking of red wines is the necessity of allowing the wine to breathe for a period of time prior to tasting and/or drinking of the wine. By allowing the wine to breathe the taste of the wine is improved and sharp, tangy flavors associated with a newly opened bottle of wine are often alleviated providing the wine with a better overall flavor. In many cases, it is often desirable to allow the wine to breathe for approximately twenty (20) minutes. This, of course, requires the wine to be opened and then placed aside for the required time period to achieve the desired flavor. In many cases this may not be a problem, but if a host or provider forgets to open the wine sufficiently before its serving, or if the time to allow for proper breathing is not available, this requires the drinking of the wine having a less than optimal flavor before it has properly aerated.
Although a common practice, simply opening a bottle does not allow proper aeration because there is not enough room for the surface-air exchange. Additional solutions involve the use of wine decanters. Wine decanters enable the removal of sediments from the wines and additionally provide for oxygenation of the wine. All red wines, especially young red wines, benefit from the oxygenation that occurs during the decanting process. A good decanting process involves the wine trickling down the walls of the decanter, imparting a fuller flavor to the wine while taking off the unwelcome edge from the taste of the wine. While this process of using a decanter may be somewhat quicker than merely opening the bottle and allowing it to breathe on its own. The decanting process requires the purchase of an expensive and relatively large decanter for placing the wine into prior to consumption of the wine. Thus, there is a need for an improved method of aerating red wines that does not require the normal periods of time required in allowing the wine to breathe to achieve its full flavor or in the expense and bulk associated with alternative methods such as wine decanters.